FCC Fines Chinese Firm $35M for Selling Cell Jammers

The FCC today levied a fine of $34.9 million against a China-based company for marketing and selling illegal cell signal jammers in the U.S. The FCC says CTS Technology marketed some 285 different types of signal jammers to U.S. consumers through its web site. Some of the devices, created to interfere with cellular, WiFi, and GPS signals at distances of up to 0.5 miles, were sold to undercover FCC agents posing as consumers and shipped from China to the U.S. Signal jammers represent a danger to the public and first responders, as they can prevent people from placing emergency calls and can otherwise disrupt essential communications. The FCC first notified CTS Technology about is violations in 2014 and has attempted to contact the company numerous times. Even though the FCC has used official channels, CTS has not responded to any of the allegations. CTS has 30 days to pay the $34.9 million fine.